I Hear You
by Pink Blackberry Girl
Summary: Emma Swan had been trying her best to stay strong, but as they walked silently through the woods together her emotions began to catch up to her. Swan Thief. Set after 2x16.


A little Swan Thief one-shot I wrote last night. If you guys like it, I'll try to write more of them.  
This was originally gonna be a fluffy little drabble, but then I ended up with... this.

Reviews are always appreciated. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show.

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Another twig snapped under her foot as they continued to walk down the seemingly endless path, hoping they were heading in the right direction and that they would be home had been walking for what seemed like hours and were getting nowhere, Emma briefly wondered if they were just going in circles. _Where the hell are we_, she thought as they continued along the trail. Knowing Cora, they could be clear on the other side of the world just as easy as they could be a few dozen miles outside city lines. After their initial freak out over realizing they were suddenly in the middle of the woods instead of Gold's shop, they had fallen into a comfortable silence as they walked and she wondered who was going to be the first to finally say something.

She briefly looked over at the man beside her, but averted her eyes back before he could catch her staring at him. She thought back to those moments just before Cora had transported them; Neal had protected her. After all this time, after everything he had done to her, he stepped in front of her to protect her. Her heart fluttered briefly at the realization. And it confused the hell out of her.

She, Emma Swan, with walls built up so high around her heart no man should ever be able to get through them, was feeling something and had no idea how to deal with it. Or what it even was she was feeling in the first place. Was she grateful that he had tried to save her life, or was it more? It didn't help that he was also so great with Henry. How was she supposed to push him back out of her life if their son loved him and wanted him around?

She stopped walking with she realized Neal was no longer beside her. Turning around she saw he had paused to rest for a moment, and with a nod she wordlessly agreed they should take a quick break before continuing on the long travel home. Her own exhaustion caught up with her, and spotting a stump nearby she decided to sit down. It wasn't until her head was in her hands and the tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes that she admitted to herself it had been a hell of a long day, and she didn't know how much more she could take.

In just a few seconds she could feel his body behind hers, and even though she knew it was coming she still flinched when she first felt his hand on her back. Neal didn't say anything as he began to gently rub his hands in soothing circles, the same way he had done so many times all those years ago, and it was far too easy for her to give in and lean back into his touch, letting him comfort her.

_This doesn't change anything,_ she told herself as she rested her head against his chest and allowed him to wrap his arms around her body. Their hands quickly found each other and, fingers entwined, she pulled his arms tightly across her chest. Safe and secure in his embrace, she finally allowed the tears to fall. "Henry, my parents, your father… we aren't there to protect them. What if something happens? What if they…"

"Shhhh," Neal whispered quietly as he pressed his lips to her hair and pulled her even tighter against him. "They're going to be okay. They will find a way; none of them are going to get hurt."

"How do you know that?" It was getting harder and harder for Emma to breathe, she had being fighting to stay strong for so long and she hadn't allowed herself any time to register all that had happened over the last few months. Maybe this was her breaking point. Her body trembled as began to sob, "I just got them all back in my life, I can't lose them! And Henry, I'm his mother; I'm supposed to be there to protect him! If something happens to him and we aren't there…"

"Henry is going to be fine," He assured her again. He was rocking her back and forth in his arms now, and it occurred to her she hadn't let a man comfort her in this way since when they were together before. And _look how that turned out_, she reminded herself bitterly. "He is our son, after all. He's smart, he's tough, he's brave. And no one is going to let anything happen to him, you hear me?"

"I hear you."

After a few moments her breathing evened out again, the tears had stopped, and she pulled away from his comforting hold as fast as she had fallen into it. Pushing the remaining teardrops from her rose stained cheeks, she stood back up and lead the way back towards the path, "Come on, we have a family to get home to."


End file.
